Cat's feeding has to change because of removed teeth

[ZsadistRaven]

My poor little girl, Nami (4.5, orange tabby), had to have 5 teeth removed last Friday due to periodontal disease, including her back 'chewing' teeth. Normally, I've only fed her and her brother, Luffy, larger dental food (primarily because Luffy tends to inhale his food until he throws up and Nami doesn't like their Greenie treats if the bag has been open for more than a week) and they (mostly Nami) would get wet food as a meal/treat after a stressful event, like going to the vet. Now I'm unsure how to correctly adjust her feeding and make sure she will get the proper nutrition she needs.

I fully understand that she will mostly have to have wet food from now on, which is a bit of a financial issue for me right now, but my biggest concern is making sure she gets the right amount of nutrition. I've never had to feed my cats wet food only, so this is all new to me. Nami is a snacker; she likes to eat a little, walk away, and come back an hour or so later to eat more. Luffy...well, he's a garbage disposal and will eat everything in one sitting. I've noticed more lately that if she is eating, he waits for her to walk away then eats everything in his bowl and hers.

Could anyone give me some tips and/or recommendations on how to make sure my cats are both getting what they need? And how to help with Nami's new situation?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Once her gums heal from the extractions, she should be fine to eat her wet AND dry food again. One of my guys only has a few teeth left (he's almost 16) and he's only recently taken up eating kibble along with some wet food simply to get enough calories in him. He has absolutely no problem eating it, and I know he chews it because I can hear him doing it. My other cat simply inhales it without chewing. Our Vet told me that a cats' gums are extremely tough, therefore they can chew very well with gums only. What they cannot do is shred anything, so they wouldn't be good at killing and eating a small animal without any teeth .

As for Luffy eating her food when she walks away, many people have this problem, myself included. What I do is keep the dry food bowl next to me so I can shoo the little piggy cat away from it. This doesn't work for everyone, so most people use a feeder that opens up with a microchip on the cat's collar. Nami would have a chip on her collar that would allow the feeder to only open when SHE is at the dish, and not when Luffy is there. I really have no idea how long it takes for cats to adjust to this, but people swear by it!

 

[FeebysOwner]

You can also try moistening her dry food with water or broth to help her eat and give your pocketbook a break from buying all wet food for her. Moistened food, as well as canned, and dry can be placed in a feeder too.

 

[guarua]

There's no shame in buying the cheap wet food as well!
My cats also like to steal each others' food. I feed them in separate rooms since I can't sit with them. After about 15 minutes I'll let them all out. I put them each in rooms with a litterbox and water.
I also take away the bowl from the cats who do not immediately finish. It's a tough lesson but they catch on that they have to eat it all in one sitting. You can also give more, smaller meals a day if it fits with your schedule since she's more of a grazer.

 

[FriendofFerals]

I have one with 6 teeth left (no "chewing" teeth) and one Old Man Cat with only 3 canines. They both eat dry and wet food no problem. Cat's don't "chew" like we do. They use canines to rip meat, then maybe one chew in the back and they swallow it whole. That's why you find whole, unchewed kibble puked up.

Their strong stomach acid will dissolve fur and bones so no problem with whole kibble. Both of my toothless boys eat wet and dry food and the only issue I've noticed is the one with no teeth tends to lose a few pieces on the floor so I have to put them back in the bowl